Fleas in bed: This is what you can do now

It is probably the disgust scenario par excellence: but unfortunately it can also be added without pets: fleas in bed! What you can do now.

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Fleas in bed? You get the cold horror right away. In fact, this can happen faster than you would think. And dogs and cats are not always responsible for the crawling nions.

Once the animals crawl around in bed, it is time to act quickly. We'll tell you how you can effectively combat the animal plague and sleep calmly soon.

First of all: fleas in bed are also possible without pets

Most of the time, fleas are brought to bed by dogs or cats. However, there is also the possibility that fleas can be found in the house without pets. Fleas also likes to nest in old upholstery or carpets. The bargain from the flea market can literally bring you a flea. An extremely unsanitary way of life also attracts insects, small animals and parasites.

Sometimes it is just bad luck. If you stay in nature, for example in gardening, it can happen that a flea also jumps to humans. Fleas are flexible as far as their hosts are concerned. Then you get into the house with your clothes and choose the cozy places there.

Since the bed is warm, dry and dark - and brings a host with it that is in it for hours - likes to fleas in bed linen and mattress. There are ideal conditions for you, which is why the parasites also lay their eggs there. Before you know, you are dealing with a serious flea infestation.

The most important thing: act immediately

Fleas can do without food for several months. In addition, females lay several hundred eggs. Although fleas are only a few millimeters tall, they can jump up to one meter. This allows you to move extremely well and distribute yourself throughout the apartment. Whether couch, carpet, upholstery - fleas are looking for the proximity to their hosts. Anyone who notices or ignores flea infestation too late risks that the whole house will be affected by the parasites.

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Do you see fleas in bed?

In principle, you can see fleas with the naked eye. They are only a few millimeters tall, but it is still possible to see them in bed. Then it is a living fleas. We usually don't discover eggs and larvae because they are even smaller and white. That makes it even more difficult to recognize them on the bed linen. Here you would have to take a magnifying glass. In addition, fleas like to crawl into cracks and only come out in the dark. The parasites are nocturnal.

Most of the time you have to rely on other signs to recognize a flea infestation.

Credit:Getty Images

Recognize fleas in bed - the biggest signs

Rash

Probably the clearest sign of flea infestation in bed is a rash on the skin. This supposed rash is then flea bites. Flöhe sting several times in a row and leave a certain distance between the individual stings. This creates a so -called flea road, i.e. a chain of several flea stitches in a row. Sometimes you will find a group of several flea bites.

Flohkot

If there are little balls in bed, it can also be an indication of fleas. It may be flea droppings. If the black balls leave red spots when crushed with a handkerchief, it is probably flea droppings. Since they feed on the blood of their host, the Köttel inside is red.

Frequent scratch

In pets, a flea infestation is not always easy to recognize due to the fur. However, one sign is frequent scratching in the four -legged friends. If you let your dog and cat in your bed or on the couch, you will probably have a flea infestation there too. As soon as a pet scratches unnaturally, you should rather examine the fur for fleas. Use a special flea comb (available from the vet orRight here at Amazon)*.

Danger:It is best to examine your pet outside. Otherwise you could encourage the parasites with the comb to jump. Then you can distribute yourself in the apartment, although you might only be in the fur before.

It is best to start the comb in the neck area for checking. Even if you cannot discover fleas with the comb, you can comb out the feces. If you are not sure whether it is feces, crush it with a handkerchief. If the cloth turns red, it is blood and therefore flea droppings.

It only sleeps so calmly without fleas.Credit:Getty Images

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Means to combat fleas in bed

1. Protect pets from fleas

Pets are often those who bring the fleas to bed. First of all, you have to start with them to combat fleas in bed or don't get a fleas to bed at all.

Dogs and cats should always be protected from fleas and other parasites anyway, since these often also transmit diseases. If you don't want to do without four -legged friends in your bed, you have to pay particular attention to it to protect yourself. The first way in fleas in bed therefore leads to the vet. This knows best which anti-flea means is suitable for the pet.

There are so-called spot-on preparations that are dripped on the neck of the animals. These keep parasites away. They also eliminate fleas when they have already nestled in the fur. Long -distance stops are also sprayed directly on the animal's fur. There are also tablets that are mixed in the food or administered as a treat. However, these only work when the parasites have already bitten the pet.

2. 60 degrees laundry

All textiles that could have come into contact with the fleas should be washed. At 60 degrees, most bacteria, fleas, flo eggs and larvae do not survive. Also cat or dog beds,andmust be washed, if possible at 60 degrees, otherwise with the addition of hygiene cleaners (Available here from Amazon)*. The regular washing of pillows and duvets as well as changing bed linen can also prevent flea infestation.

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3. Clean mattress

After that, the mattress must be cleaned. In the first step, it must be sucked out thoroughly. Fleas prefer to withdraw in dark cracks. Also make sure that the vacuum cleaner has a sufficient suction power so that the small floating eggs are removed from the fibers.

Dyson's vacuum cleaner (Available here from Amazon)*, for example, has a suction power that also removes house dust mites out of mattresses with the right attachment. House dust mites are roughly the same size as Floheier, namely 0.5mm.

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4. Cleaning the bedroom thoroughly

The bed frame, bedside tables, the floor and surrounding carpets and curtains must also be cleaned and washed thoroughly. Fleas can jump very far. Let's get on the bed, you can just jump into the area and save yourself from bed to surrounding fabrics and furniture.

Danger:As annoying as it is, in the event of a flea infestation, the wardrobe must also be cleaned and the clothes in it have to be washed. If the wardrobe is also near the bed (possibly even with open cabinet doors), the chances are good that the parasites have spread there too.

If the clothing in the closet cannot be washed at 60 degrees, a hygiene cleaner should be added to the laundry (Order here from Amazon)*.

Fleas like to hide in the bed linen.Credit:Getty Images

Home remedies to prevent fleas in bed

Regular vacuuming

Flöhe keep up there (and lay their eggs there), where pets are. Since dogs in particular are most common in ground and therefore carpet, this is an obvious hiding place. The sofa or upholstery, on which humans and animals are frequently, are also at risk. Effective protection against fleas is therefore to regularly suck carpet, couch and upholstery. Eggs, larvae and dolls are also removed, provided that they have already settled.

Tipp:Carpets should not only be sucked regularly, but also regularly cleaned. This also prevents parasites. In addition, cleaning can also be killed with means such as baking powder larvae and eggs.

Video: Attention! These are the 10 biggest mistakes in vacuuming

Errors when vacuuming

Don't let pets to bed

Bad news: The most effective protection against fleas in bed is not to let your pets go to bed. Most of the time, the parasites go to bed through the four -legged friends. Dogs and cats in particular, who are often outside and have a lot of contact with other animals, are at risk. By the way, the highest risk is in autumn. The parasites don't know any hibernation. You are just looking for a warm neighborhood in winter.

Hygienic living

Not only vacuuming, also cleaning, wiping and washing the textiles is effective protection against parasites. So you will not only be removed if there have been a few animals their way into the house or have already laid eggs, they may also be kept away.

Many typical scents of cleaning agents such as lemon scent are said to keep fleas away. For this reason, the tip is often given to give essential oils to the cleaning water. For this, eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon or tea tree oil are recommended. However, your remuneral effect is not proven.

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Attention: do not test home remedies on animals

Many people want to do something good for their pets and do without supposedly bad, chemical remedies for fleas. There are therefore many recommendations for home remedies that are supposed to help against fleas. However, the effect is not proven. Some home remedies even harm the four -legged friends more than they use them. If you want to remove fleas effectively and for the pet harmless, you should therefore turn to the vet your trust.

Recommendations such as self -made collars with mint that are bound to the animal can even be really dangerous for cats. If you get stuck somewhere with the collar in stray in nature, you can strangle with it.

But self-mixed anti-flea sprays with home remedies should also be treated with caution. They are mostly based on essential oils. However, since the four -legged friends have sensitive noses, they are not a favor with them.

Of homemade sprays with detergent, which you can supposedly spray on the fur, you should definitely keep your fingers anyway, because the animals lick the fur, it can have health consequences for them.